Crypto Exchange Woes Continue: Kraken Reportedly Shutters Regional Headquarters As Bittrex Lays Off 83 Employees

A new report finds that crypto exchanges Kraken and Bittrex are downsizing amid the continued turmoil in the digital asset space.

Bloomberg reports that San Francisco-based Kraken shuts down its Abu Dhabi office less than a year after receiving a license to operate a regulated exchange platform in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The third-largest crypto exchange is laying off 30% of its global workforce as a result of the crypto winter. A spokesman says Kraken already dismissed the majority of its team focused on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) albeit the firm plans to keep some employees based in the region, including MENA managing director Benjamin Ampen, who will likely only leave once the transition is over.

Bittrex is also reducing its workforce. According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice received by the Washington state’s Employment Security Department on Wednesday, the Seattle-based exchange is terminating 83 members of its team.

An email sent to Bittrex employees and shared by Autism Capital on Twitter shows that the retrenchment is due to the downturn in the crypto market.

“BREAKING: Bittrex begins layoffs today citing macroeconomic market conditions.”

In October, Bittrex agreed to settle with the U.S. Treasury and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) $53 million in a penalty after investigations showed that the exchange violated US sanctions and anti-money-laundering laws.

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